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Solace
In the interest of maximising the amount of space available for agriculture, the Old Kingdoms created a single, densely populated city to house the world's population. The entire city is built on a massive flying platform, allowing the city to relocate if necessary. Solace is split into a multitude of tiers, each serving a specific purpose. Each tier is also broken down into different districts. * Tier I ** District I, the High Council Offices ** District II, High Council Chambers * Tier II ** District I, the Judicial Courts ** District II, the Military Offices ** District III, the Cardinal's Cathedrals * Tier III ** District I The Artisan's Workshops ** District II The Merchant's Stores ** District III The Markets ** District IV The Freemen's Housing * Tier IV ** District I The Steel Factories ** District II The Textile Factories ** District III The Printing Presses ** District IV the Warehouses ** District V the Shipyards * Tier V ** The Slums ** The Sky Docks History The oldest part of the city, Tier V, was constructed around Anno 1830 AP, and sent into the skies in Anno 1 NP. A relatively small group, made up of members of each race, moved in to the city. From then on, there was a steady trickle of migrants from the surface to Solace. An elected council was set up to manage the city. This became known as the High Council. Only those of noble blood could be elected. The first acts of the High Council were to found the City Guard and the Knights of Solace in Anno 2 NP. Slavery, a common practise in the days of the Old Kingdoms, was abolished in Anno 7 NP. After a series of criminal incidents involving magic, the use of such power was outlawed in Anno 22 NP. There are rumours that such a ban was implemented by those nobles who did not possess magical ability in order to remove those stronger than them. Since the ban, magic has been feared and hated largely due to a series of extensive propaganda campaigns. Tier IV was constructed in Anno 97 NP. By this point, there were now a much larger group of people living in the city. The city was populated from the outside-in, and all participated in constructing the other tiers. Tier III was constructed in Anno 150 NP. The city was nearly full by this point. Those who could afford it were allocated closer to the centre of the city, whilst those who could not were allocated to Tier V. Tier II was constructed in Anno 236 NP. This was originally intended to be the final tier, but a small area was left for the official government buildings and residences. Those living in Tier V were now in overcrowded conditions, leading to a drastic decrease in public health. A series of Fever outbreaks started in Anno 260 NP, decimating the populace of the city, particularly in the densely populated outer regions. Tier V was quarantined in Anno 261 NP, in what became known as The Closed Gates. This ended in Anno 280 NP. Many of those living in the outer city felt they had been betrayed by the High Council, and resentment against the establishment grew. In Anno 275 NP, the City Guard opened fire on protesters, escalating the protest into a city-wide riot. This was swiftly dealt with with during The Seven Days. Tier I was constructed in Anno 366 NP. By this point, each Tier had evolved to serve a particular function. As Tier IV was adjacent to Tier V, it became the centre for secondary industry as it had access to plenty of workers. The further in the city, the richer the inhabitants. Tier III attracted a lot of skilled artisans, who could cater for richer clientele than the slums. As the richest inhabitants of the city were often also the ones with the most power, Tier II became the administrative centre. After a series of political scandals and allegations of corruption, the districts within the tiers began to demand higher autonomy. A series of strikes in Anno 373 NP lead to a slight decentralisation of power from the High Council to the individual districts. This was largely done to somewhat redeem the image of the High Council, which had no intentions of giving up their control, despite their multitude of promises. As the population of the city grew, so did the unemployment rate. In an effort to combat this, many residential areas in Tier IV were demolished in Anno 433 NP, allowing room for far more factories. These factories supplied new housing areas for workers. This began an industrial revolution of sorts, with many members of the higher tiers investing in the new factories. In Anno 520 NP, a series of poor harvests coupled with an unprecedented population level lead to starvation throughout the outer tiers. Grain prices skyrocketed, and wages were lower than ever before. Frustrated with the lack of a voice, demand grew for universal sufferage. Support for the syndicalist movement The Worker's Vanguard grew exponentially. This organisation demanded more power for the Trade Unions, and for opening the High Council to any citizen, not just those of noble blood. The city was divided between those in favour of universal suffrage, and those against. After a failed military coup by The Worker's Vanguard, a devastating civil war erupted in Anno 524 NP. This war ended in Anno 528 NP, with the patricians as the victors. The far-left organisation, The People's Struggle, was founded in Anno 529 NP. This group aimed to use more drastic means to reduce the power of the nobles. Whilst they had successful in The Civil War, the patricians knew they had to give up some of their power in order to reduce the momentum of the various opposition groups. The terrorist attacks committed by the The People's Struggle reinforced this. The High Council granted universal suffrage in Anno 530 NP. The vote was not secret however, and factory owners would frequently fire those who did not vote for their candidates. The Magi seized control of the city in a sudden coup, The Night of Broken Chains, in Anno 706 NP. Several members of the High Council assisted the coup in order to further their own position. Those who did not were promptly executed. After taking power, The Magi moved fast to consolidate their position. They established a cult of personality, utilising a propaganda campaign to paint themselves as the liberators of Solace from the oppressive High Council. They disbanded the Knights of Solace in Anno 707 NP, who were intrinsically more loyal to their families, replacing them with the Sacred Guard. They formed a secret police, The Zealots, in Anno 712 NP. Slavery was reinstated in Anno 720 NP. Lastly, the Magi formed The Restoration, an organisation devoted to finding a counter to The Rot. Since the Magi have taken power, support for groups such as The People's Struggle has increased significantly.